Three arrested for poaching tiger cub in Madhya Pradesh's deputy speaker's farm

BHOPAL: A day after a male tiger cub was killed by poachers inside the farm owned by deputy speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly Rajendra Singh, state forest officials have arrested three people including farm’s caretaker Kundan Sahu.

Two others were identified as Baiga tribal -- Ram Prasad Baiga and Jamuna Baiga.

Forest officials have recovered two more deadly GI-wire traps from the farm during search.

According to state’s chief wildlife warden Narendra Kumar the accused have confessed laying trap was laid by them, but for poaching wild boars and other herbivores wild animals.

Spread over 50 acres Singh’s farmhouse house is located in buffer zone of Bandhavgarh National Tiger Reserve in Umaria district.

He had held industry portfolio in the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government.

The carcass of the cub, aged less than one year, was found inside the farm, its neck trapped in a snare made of GI wire.

It probably died more than 30 hours before the carcass was found. Its mother and another sibling were lured back to the park by forest guards.

Sahu was taken into custody from his house in Baansa after a Preliminary Offence Report was registered.

A sniffer dog squad that was called for investigation reached Sahu’s house, less than a kilometer from where the carcass was recovered on Sunday, said sources.

Singh who initially feigned ignorance on involvement of his caretaker Kundan Sahu told TOI that he would cooperate in with the investigators and has no objections if government wants to acquire his farm.

He said the land was bought three decades ago. “We were not using it even for even agriculture activity. I have only been there for 2-3 times in past 20 years and,” Rajendra Singh told TOI.

Singh said it was Sahoo Sahu who used to inform forest officials about any tiger movements in the locality. “Government should conduct a thorough enquiry into the issue” he added.